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Object in Focus 2021

Posted 7 May 2021 No Comments

For eight years Trinity Laban has been part of Object in Focus, an annual programme funded by Arts Council England which aims to improve access to the Horniman Museum and Gardens’ collections.

This year the conservatoire is playing host to two large ammonites, which were installed at the Laban Building in early March and will be displayed until mid-September.

Related to squid and octopus, ammonites are a diverse group of extinct molluscs. Of the pair, one is a 12kg example of a Titanites, dating to around 150 million years old, that was found in a quarry in Swindon. As its name suggests, the late Jurassic ammonite grew to gigantic proportions, reaching up to 1.5 metres across. The second specimen is a Parkinsonia, found in Dorset, which is around 170 million years old.

To accompany the installation, Horniman Museum will deliver two recorded digital talks: a Curator’s Lecture and fossil tales from a Storyteller. These will be accessible on our Take Part at Home pages, alongside downloadable creative activities for all ages.

The Object in Focus will act as inspiration for our staff, students and alumni over the summer term. We’re encouraging our community to respond creatively and playfully and be part of the digital challenge by sharing their responses using #objectinfocuschallenge.

Laura Woods comments –

“This is the first time Trinity Laban has hosted natural history objects. When I first saw the ammonites they reminded me of the spiralling lava staircases in the Laban Building, and the circular energy of Graham technique spirals. The texture, shape, origin and associated folklore of the ammonites offer lots of scope for creativity. I hope that the objects will inspire our Learning and Participation programmes and the wider Trinity Laban community throughout the summer term.”

Sarah Sinka, Collections Access Officer at Horniman Museum, comments –

“We love working with Trinity Laban on Object in Focus. The staff, students and groups always come up with fantastic and creative responses to the objects. I can’t wait to see what they do this year!”

Trinity Laban has collaborated with the Museum for over a decade. To find out more about the partnership, visit our Horniman page.

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Image courtesy of Horniman Museum and Gardens.

John Chambers holding percussion instrument (left); John Darvell in action choreographing (right)

Alumni commissioned to create interactive digital work

Posted 5 May 2021 No Comments

John Darvell and John Chambers are part of creative team for The RIDDLE

Under the Artistic Direction of Trinity Laban alum John Darvell, NOCTURN collaborates with artists across genres to develop a unique blend of dance, accessible technology and interactive events.

Their latest creation, The RIDDLE, is a fun, interactive outdoor experience, produced by Spin Arts, that focuses on society’s consumption of digital technology.

The experience is a commission for Greenwich Dance’s ArtsUnboxed programme, which is a new way to safely create, produce and tour work in 2021 funded by the Culture Recovery Fund.

Unlike a traditional production, there is no live event. Instead, audiences can download The RIDDLE for free and engage in the adventure at their own pace.

Participants help the central character Pæn re-engage with the wonders of the outdoors by hunting down QR codes, solving riddles and making and sharing their own dance moves. Audiences can even use NOCTURN’s Spotify playlist to add to the mood as they explore.

“Your mobile phone is part of the problem – and the solution!”, explains Darvell, who is the show’s Director and Choreographer.

He continues –

“This is our first outdoor work and a new exciting development for the company. It is also a work which responds to the restrictions and impact of COVID-19 and can be engaged with during these difficult times.”

Darvell’s professional journey into dance began at 37 when he decided to retrain in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban, leaving the security of day-to-day office work. He completed his Postgraduate Certificate in Community Dance in 2007 and has spent the last decade forging a remarkable approach to creating and choreographing work, placing community interaction and inclusion at the heart of his creative process.

The creative team behind The RIDDLE also includes fellow alum John Chambers, who wrote the music for the digital experience. The freelance composer, sound designer and lyricist graduated from Trinity Laban in 2008 with BMus (Hons) in composition. During his studies, he won the Daryl Runswick Prize, the John Halford Prize, and the Chappell Prize.

Chambers and Darvell first worked together while both studying at Trinity Laban, collaborating on Darvell’s final choreographic project ‘No More’. They have been collaborating ever since and Darvell describes Chambers as “the musical backbone” for many of NOCTURN’s pieces.

“He’s very talented in understanding the needs of a piece and creating a musical landscape which helps drive the narrative forward. He’s brilliant at marrying two opposing creative needs together which is no easy task.”

Chambers says –

“Over the years we’ve developed a good creative understanding of each other’s style, which means I was able to quickly compose the music for The RIDDLE – speed is crucial for a tightly scheduled project where the score has to happen in pre rather than postproduction.

“It’s been great seeing dance artist Tom Davis Dunn embody and respond to my score, and I look forward to members of the public being able to experience the work for themselves.”

The team received the commission at the end of 2020 and started work on the project in January.

On receiving the commission at the end of 2020 Darvell comments –

“It was amazing news for us especially as when everything else had gone back into lockdown. A bit of a lifesaving project to be involved in.”

The RIDDLE launches as part of ArtsUnboxed in May 2021.

Discover more about studying at Trinity Laban.

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Image L-R: John Chambers (credit Pauline Chambers); John Darvell (credit Savannah Photographic)

TL Competition Round-up 2020/21

Posted 5 May 2021 No Comments

Competitions and Prizes celebrate the creativity and technical excellence of students from across our Faculty of Music.

Since the Daryl Runswick Competition for composition students was reinvented for a virtual audience last year, we’ve delivered several internal competitions and prizes through a mix of digital and in-person formats that give our young musicians the chance to showcase their talent.

Streamed live to an online audience from Trinity Laban’s Peacock Room, The Roy Pleasance Competition saw postgraduate sopranos Olivia Bell (Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholar), Anna Marmion (Eva Malpass Scholar) and Victoria Mulley (Elliot Rosenblatt Memorial Scholar) compete for the prize. After offering insightful feedback to the three finalists, adjudicator and Royal Opera House repetiteur Susanna Stranders announced Anna Marmion as the winner for her fire-themed programme.

Anna’s winning performance, accompanied by David Smith, included Gilda’s aria from Rigoletto and works by Britten, Strauss and Ravel. The soprano most recently performed the role of Susanna in Puzzle Piece Opera’s live-streamed production of Le Nozze di Figaro.

Anna says –

“It was such a pleasure to sing in the final of the competition alongside my wonderful colleagues Vicky and Olivia. It was thrilling to be chosen as the winner and I am looking forward to implementing the insightful and valuable advice I received from Susanna into my continued work. I am so happy to have been able to take part in this competition given the restrictions of the past year.”

Concert guitarist and professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts, Tomasz Zawierucha, adjudicated The Alison Stephens Competition for Plucked and Fretted Instruments, naming classical guitarist and second year Master’s student Daniel Moloney the winner. Daniel performed Mazurka Apasionada by Barrios, El Delirio by Cano and Maria (Gavotte) by Tarrega to claim the prize.

On winning, Daniel comments –

“It was a great experience playing alongside all the incredible musicians in the competition, and I was thrilled and humbled to win!

Third year undergraduate violinist Samuel Cutajar won this year’s Vera Kantrovich Prize for Solo Strings, following his “serene and spacious” performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s second Solo Sonata in A minor where he showed “command and insight”. Samuel is currently studying with Clare Thompson and was selected as a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra in 2020, following an internship with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017.

Reflecting on the competition, Samuel says –

“Performing this special piece with its fugal complexities juxtaposed with the andante’s intimacy was a privilege. Competing in against such fine fellow colleagues was a particular highlight in my musical journey so far. “

The competition was adjudicated by Royal College of Music’s Susie Mészáros, who comments –

“The demands of playing unaccompanied Bach are great, both technically and musically. It was with admiration that I listened to these young people playing and I was deeply touched and impressed by the beauty, skill and generosity of spirit demonstrated by every single one of the finalists.”

Clarinettists from the conservatoire’s Wind, Brass and Percussion department took part in The Wilfred Hambleton Competition, adjudicated by Chamber Orchestra of Europe clarinettist Marie Lloyd. Final year undergraduate Laurence Cuttriss performed a winning interpretation of Jorg Widmann’s Fantasie.

Winner Laurence comments –

“I had a lot of fun learning the pieces, which has everything the composer loves about the clarinet. It’s been so important to have a goal to work towards during these past months.”

Future performances include Jean Francaix’s Clarinet Concerto with the Horsham Symphony Orchestra in November 2021, and an invitation to perform in the Krakow International Festival of Composers next spring.

Adjudicated by distinguished British oboist and founder member of the Britten Sinfonia, Nicholas Daniel OBE, the annual Evelyn Rothwell Oboe Competition was won by Yu Hao who performed Telemann’s 12 Fantasies for Unaccompanied Oboe: No. 2 in A Minor and 48 Studies by Ferling: No.7.

The first year Artist Diploma student comments –

“I really enjoyed the competition. It was a great opportunity for the competitors to showcase our music after the most recent lockdown.”

This year, Sam Pugh’s rendition of Serge Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto op.3 in the Vernon Elliott Competition was “a real highlight” for adjudicator and London Philharmonic Orchestra Double Bass Hugh Klüger, who named Sam the winner. “It was inspiring to adjudicate the Vernon Elliott Competition because of the high standard of double bass playing, the passion and the musicality shown by the competitors.”

In November, keyboard students took part in the The John Longmire Competition, adjudicated by Japanese pianist Ayami Ikeba, professor at the Universität für Musik in Graz, Austria. Third year undergraduate Priscilla Oprescu took home the prize for her performance of Beethoven’s Bagatelle Op. 126 no 4 in B minor and Sonata Op. 14 No. 2 in G Major. Priscilla says she was drawn to the sonata’s “honesty and sincerity” and that playing in the competition helped her discover “even more beautiful ideas in the music”.

The Romanian pianist joined Trinity Laban in 2018 and studies with Yekaterina Lebedeva, funded by the Arthur Haynes and Jimmie Cross Prize Fund Scholarships, as well as the Henry Wood Accommodation Trust. She will now represent the conservatoire at the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe Intercollegiate Competition later this year.

Priscila comments –

“Winning the competition felt a bit unreal given the circumstances, and all in all it was a very unique and inspiring experience. I also found it interesting hearing different interpretations of the Bagatelle from my talented colleagues. I am extremely grateful to Trinity Laban for making this competition possible in these times.”

In December, soprano Bethan Terry and pianist Francesca Lauri Menta (Arthur Haynes Scholar) performed a programme of Messiaen, Duparc, Poulenc and Debussy to win The Lillian Ash French Song Competition, which was adjudicated by internationally renowned piano accompanist Roger Vignoles.

Roger, who is recognised as a leading exponent of art song, reflecting on his involvement in the competition –

“It was a novel experience to adjudicate the Lilian Ash Competition via my computer screen at home, but thanks to the positive spirit of the participants I was able to derive great enjoyment from their performances. Imaginatively chosen repertoire, accomplished and communicative singing, supported by excellent piano playing – all demonstrated Trinity Laban’s commitment to teaching French Mélodie to the highest standard.”

The pair, who are both undergraduate students, have been working together as duo partners since 2019. Francesca explains –

“After feeling electricity between us as players when we competed in the 2019 competition, we decided to keep working together. To now be the winners has really given us a huge push to work even harder and continue the amazing bond we have together as a duo.”

In April, Imogen Burgess (Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholar) and Francesca Lauri Menta were named winners of the English Song Competition, impressing British baritone and competition adjudicator Sir Simon Keenlyside with their programme of Herbert, Bridge, Guerney and Dove. Keenlyside gave insightful comments to the final duos, focussing strongly on the artistic approach to the interpretation and presentation of the songs.

Keyboard students Ka Ng, Jinah Shim and Zhu Sun competed for The Alfred Kitchin Competition for Solo Piano with a programme of Schubert and Schumann. Romanian British concert pianist Alexandra Dariescu named Jinah Shim the winner. Donated by Alfred Kitchen, the prize is intended to encourage expressive and musical playing.

Jinah comments –

“I am delighted to have won the Alfred Kitchin Competition with Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. It was such a thrill to play live, with an audience in the same room. The music world was severely impacted by Covid-19 and performing in this competition has given me hope that the music world is getting back on its feet.”

Leading British violinist Gina McCormack adjudicated the John Barbirolli String Quartet Competition, awarding the prize to The Waldstein Quartet (Greta Papa, Daniel Pukach, Natalia Solís Paredes and Miguel Villeda Ceron) who performed two movement from Beethoven’s Quartet No.5 in A Major. As winners, they will represent Trinity Laban in the upcoming intercollegiate Cavatina Competition.

Looking ahead, the summer term sees the Vivian Joseph Classical Concerto Competition for bowed strings and the conservatoire’s prestigious Soloists’ Competition.

Keep up to date on the winners by following us on Twitter.

Find out more about studying music at Trinity Laban.

Composition Professor wins ISM’s highest accolade

Posted 5 May 2021 No Comments

Errollyn Wallen CBE is the recipient of the 2020 ISM Distinguished Musician Award.

Formed in 1882, The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK’s professional body for musical artists. Since 1976, they have awarded the ISM Distinguished Musician Award which recognises an individual’s outstanding contribution to musical life in the UK.

This year, critically acclaimed Belize-born British composer Errollyn Wallen CBE has been named the 2020 winner, joining the likes of cellist Jacqueline du Pres, conductor Sir Charles Mackerras and composer Sir Michael Tippett.

Errollyn, whose work ‘Jerusalem-Our clouded Hills’ was premiered at the 2020 Last Night of the Proms, is central within Trinity Laban’s Composition department. She has received commissions from the BBC, the Royal Opera House and The Schubert Ensemble. She is also frequently seen and heard presenting on BBC television and radio — latterly as a member of the judging panel for the 2021 BBC Young Musicians of the Year.

ISM President, Professor Chris Collins commented –

“Both her career and music-making transcend boundaries, and during COVID-19, Errollyn has continued to innovate, explore and challenge. In my term as ISM President, I can think of no one more worthy of receiving this award.”

Errollyn Wallen CBE said –

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award from the ISM, who do so much to promote the vital importance of music for us all. These times have revealed that the making of live music has been under the direst threat and yet the need and longing for it has never been greater.”

Find out more about our Composition Department.

Summer Season Highlights 2021

Posted 30 April 2021 No Comments

Blending virtual and live events, our latest season offers audiences the chance to encounter dance, music and musical theatre in innovative ways.

This summer we are continuing to create performance opportunities for students from across our faculties through a diverse mix of digital and in-person events that showcase the talent of our community.

The season includes fully-staged productions, the return of our annual keyboard festival, exciting collaborations with international choreographers, and multiple digital premieres on our YouTube channel and across social media platforms.

DANCE

The Laban Theatre will play host to several performances this summer, showcasing our contemporary dance students from across our undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts.

Our flagship postgraduate dance company Transitions embarks on its annual UK tour with a programme of 3 New Works choreographed by Dog Kennel Hill Project, Didy Veldman and Rahel Vonmoos. The company will present homecoming performances (3 – 5 June, Laban Theatre) and are set to release a film premiere of the triple bill in July.

The Repertory Project sees second year undergraduate students recreate contemporary dance works by Tony Thatcher, Daniel Squire, Ali Curtis Jones and Sara Wookey across four evenings (15 – 18 June, Laban Theatre).

Final year undergraduate students will work with Matthew Harding, Artistic Director of Urban Interface Dance UK, and South Asian dance practitioner Divya Kasturi, as well as TL’s own Charles Linehan and Stephanie Schober, for Commissioned Works (6 – 9 July, Laban Theatre).

Later in the season, our annual Graduate Showcase returns to Laban Theatre and Laurie Grove, and our BA1 Performance Project, Dance Diploma students and CAT Programme take to the stage. More details to follow.

MUSICAL THEATRE

In May, our final-year Musical Theatre students present two shows at The Albany in Deptford.

Based on Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved classic novel, Little Women (18 & 21 May) focuses on the four March sisters and their beloved Marmee. Intercut with a series of vignettes in which their Massachusetts lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories aspiring writer Jo pens in her attic studio.

Tony Award-nominated, The Addams Family (26, 27 & 29 May) is a musical comedy with music and lyrcis by Andrew Lippa based on the infamously ghoulish American family created by cartoonist Charles Addams. The show depicts the machinations of an eclectic cast of gothic characters as they deal with their relationships, old and new.

Both shows will have socially distanced live audiences and be livestreamed. Further information on tickets is available on The Albany website.

In June, our second-year Musical Theatre students present Half A Sixpence at Blackheath Halls (14 – 19 June). The show follows Arthur Kipps, an orphan who unexpectedly inherits a fortune, and climbs the social ladder before losing everything and realizing that you just can’t buy happiness.

MUSIC

Curated by Douglas Finch, the New Lights Piano Festival has earned a reputation for showcasing a diverse range of composed and improvised contemporary music for keyboard, electronic and avant-garde instruments. This year, audiences can enjoy a mix of pre-recorded events from across the globe and live evening concerts streamed from the Peacock Room, all available for free on TL YouTube (17 – 18 June).

Highlights include a live performance by the Helix Trio, Christos Fountos’s digital premiere of commissioned work by Canadian composer Rodney Sharman and the return of Yuka Takechi’s Winter Light / Ephemera for Piano performed by Yukiko Shinohara.

Catch Trinity Laban Brass Ensemble at Deal Festival 2021 (1 – 17 July), where they will premiere their pre-recorded digital performances of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor (arr P.White) and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (arr Howarth) conducted by Phil White.

Our postgraduate vocal students will be delighting live audiences with Rosina’s Lovers (30 June – 1 July), two outdoor concerts of operatic excerpts from John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versaille, Massenet’s Chérubin, Milhaud’s La mère coupable, Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro performed in an around King Charles Court.

Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra returns to Blackheath Halls (24 June) for Brahms Symphony No. 2, under the baton of Austrian conductor and Music Director Designate of the Oregon Symphony, David Danzmayr.

The summer seasons also sees music students compete in two of TL’s most prestigious competitions. Following the success of last year’s digital iteration, the Daryl Runswick Competition returns to YouTube for 2021 with a film featuring the finalist’s works and adjudication (21 May).

Instrumentalists will compete at Blackheath Halls in May to win the coveted Soloists’ Competition, a prize that sees them play a concerto with the TLSO.

Other upcoming digital releases include performances by Trinity Laban Jazz Orchestra and Trinity Laban Chamber Choir. Catch The Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir’s live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 (5 May).

Alongside our one-off events and digital release, we hope to resume our programme of weekly lunchtime concerts at the ORNC Chapel from 18 May and St Alfege, Greenwich from 20 May, and as well as a programme of lunchtime livestreams. More details coming soon, including the end of year performance from our Junior Trinity students in July.

Information regarding our events may change, subject to future social distancing measures and government guidelines.

We’ll be adding more to What’s On as details are confirmed. To keep up to date, please check our What’s On pages and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Group of singers holding folders in black

International vocal stars join TL’s masterclass programme

Posted 27 April 2021 No Comments

This spring, the Vocal Department welcomed guest artists from around the world.

A broad range of international talent from across the industry shared their expertise with Vocal Studies students in virtual sessions this spring term as part of the conservatoire’s masterclass programme.

Over the course of a month, the department hosted masterclasses with sought-after dramatic soprano Susan Bullock CBE, coloratura soprano Sandra Dugdale, mezzo-sopranos Yvonne Howard and Anna Stéphany, British baritones David Kempster and Roderick Williams and rising-star American countertenor Patrick Terry.

Reflecting on her sessions with TL sopranos, Sandra Dugdale comments –

“I enjoyed working with the students very much. They were all very well-prepared, receptive, keen to learn, and of a high standard.”

On working with our students, David Kempster comments –

“It was a joy to work with such a great group of talented and enthusiastic singers from Trinity Laban. […] We were able to do great work, which I hope all the students found both rewarding and insightful.”

Yvonne Howard says –

“It was really good to meet and work with so many of the next generation of Mezzo Sopranos at Trinity Laban. All were really well prepared musically and that made my job easy and enjoyable and the level of concentration and responsiveness to suggestions made, and the willingness to try new things was highly rewarding. Thank you all.”

Masters’ student Victoria Mulley comments –

“I loved taking part in Susan Bullock’s soprano masterclass. Her practical, insightful and friendly advice was really valuable. It was very exciting to work with a singer who has had such a diverse and successful career. I was particularly glad to work with her on an aria from Peter Grimes, as Ellen Orford is a role she has performed many times.”

Countertenor Alessandro Romano, a third-year undergraduate, comments –

“I really enjoyed working with Patrick Terry. He was very attentive to detail and gave me valuable feedback. He suggested different approaches on technique and how to maintain a good legato. A big thank you to Trinity Laban for giving us this opportunity.”

Garreth Romain, a second year Postgraduate Artist Diploma student, adds –

“I would happily work with Patrick Terry again as he is a lovely man that provides helpful, constructive feedback that I can take forward.”

TL vocalists also benefitted from the expertise of Morag McLaren, who returned to deliver an inspiring session on Emotional Expression in Singing. The versatile performer has worked with Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North and performed the role of Carlotta in West End smash-hit Phantom of the Opera.

Find out more about studying voice at Trinity Laban.

One Half of Two

Posted 27 April 2021 No Comments

TL Musical Theatre students bring new digital play to life at The Cockpit theatre.

Devised and produced by an all-female team of Trinity Laban BA (Hons) Musical Theatre students, One Half of Two is a powerful debut following three women grappling with the aftermath of love.

Written by Phoebe Noble, the semiautobiographical show comprises a series of monologues inspired by her experience as a spoken word poet. Phoebe comments –

“The first monologue was performed at a TL student union event called The Platform. If it hadn’t been for that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to write One Half of Two. When I shared it with female friends and family, they wept alongside me. None of us realised we all felt the same way. Single women are not alone or unfulfilled. They are not to be pitied by married peers or belittled for their choice of dating site and they definitely do not live a life without love. I hope that anyone who watches this, no matter how they identify, redefines their idea of love and welcomes it.”

Director Holly McConville comments –

“The biggest thing to take away is the complexity of finding self-love and how accomplished you feel when you get there. There is a story in the play that everyone can relate to, relationships are so much more than romantic and that really struck home with me. I couldn’t think of a better show for my debut as a director.

Trinity Laban’s Musical Theatre department teaches us about multiple aspects of the industry, including the creative side. It helped me realise my passion for directing. The skills and techniques I have gained from my training over the last two years have shaped me, both as an actor and a director.”

After a challenging year that has disrupted education, the creative team were inspired to create their own original work and share it on a digital format.

Phoebe explains how performing to camera rather than a live audience presented new challenges –

“We worked with four cameras and tried to block the show to include them and create exciting visuals, rather than pretending they’re weren’t there. It has been an incredible learning experience.”

Filmed in The Cockpit theatre’s Marylebone auditorium, the production will enjoy a limited on-demand run from 1 – 8 May 2021.

Joining Phoebe and Holly in the cast are fellow TL Musical Theatre students Emily Rayner and Alex Hill.

“We wanted to achieve something during this pandemic that we can really be proud of. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and Trinity Laban for encouraging us.”

To find out more and book tickets, visit The Cockpit website.

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Image credit: Jack Etheridge

Transitions Dancer Wins Professional Contract

Posted 22 April 2021 No Comments

S. Arthur Sicilia has been offered a full-time contract with Austrian company TANZLIN.Z.

From August 2021, American dancer and current Transitions Dance Company member S. Arthur Sicilia will join TANZLIN.Z and work with celebrated Taiwanese choreographer and Dance Director Lin Mei-hong.

As a dancer with the company, he will feature in TANZLIN.Z’s upcoming productions at Landestheater Linz, including the premieres of Cinderella in October and Love Letters in February 2022.

Arthur graduated with a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the Boston Conservatory, before coming to Trinity Laban to study his MA/MFA Dance Performance.

He has worked with artists such as Roderick George, The Merce Cunningham Trust and Stephanie Martinez and has danced professionally with NeoDance Company, Germany. Arthur has also premiered his own work with DanceEmotion.

On joining TANZLIN.Z, Arthur comments –

“I am so elated to be joining the incredible talent of TANZLIN.Z for next season, following what has already been such a fruitful year in Transitions Dance Company where I have been so nurtured and encouraged. I can already see the changes and developments I’ve made as an artist since coming to Trinity Laban. My time here has allowed me to reflect on my past experiences, expand my capabilities and prepare for future opportunities, while being present in such engaging work.”

Catch Arthur in Transitions Dance Company’s 3 New Works, a triple bill of specially commissioned pieces by choreographers Dog Kennel Hill Project, Didy Veldman and Rahel Vonmoos premiering this summer.

For more info on the performances, visit our What’s On page.

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Image credit: Chris Nash

TL announces parternship with Black Artists in Dance

Posted 19 April 2021 No Comments

Trinity Laban and Black Artists in Dance (BAiD) will work together to address issues of diversity and inclusion for people of African and Caribbean heritages at the conservatoire and within the wider dance industry.

The new partnership with BAiD – an organisation who aim to bring greater awareness to the Black dance sector and showcase the contribution that Black dancers, artists and academics make to the development of dance – builds on the proactive steps Trinity Laban has made over the past year to address inequalities faced by its Black students and staff.

In close consultation with its community, London’s creative conservatoire has established a Black Lives Matter Working Group, held listening sessions with students, alumni and staff, created a mechanism for the anonymous reporting of micro-aggressions and more.

Within the Faculty of Dance, Trinity Laban has expanded the practical technique module on its BSc Dance Science programme to include Hip Hop. This is to enable students across the programme’s three years to engage practically and academically with a wide range of dance styles and genres and broaden the scope of dance science research.

The institution will work in consultation with BAiD to continue to work towards tangible culture change and meaningfully celebrate, encourage and ensure equity and diversity in its art forms.

As part of the partnership, Trinity Laban commits to:

an audit and review of the conservatoire’s Dance curriculum.
an audit and review of our public performance programming.
further expanding our delivery of dance genres and styles originating from the Global South across our programmes.
the establishment of bespoke and ongoing anti-racism training for all staff and students.
a review of staff recruitment and development practices.
the establishment of student and alumni engagement initiatives to address inequalities.
building our networks with Black artists within the industry.

Trinity Laban’s Director of Dance Sara Matthews comments –

“We are proud and excited to be partnering with BAiD to uphold our core belief in equity and offer a committed route to real change. We will continue to examine our institutional structure and work towards sustainable action. We look forward to working collaboratively and collectively with partners in the industry as part of this partnership.”

BAiD Directors Joyce Gyimah and Gerrard Martin comment –

“BAID is pleased to be working in partnership with Trinity Laban, in the drive towards diversity and inclusion. We acknowledge that real strategic and sustainable change takes action. The dance sector for many years has operated in an inequitable structure that has allowed generations of diverse communities to feel excluded, marginalised and underrepresented. Our partnership with Trinity Laban aims to re-address the balance by developing a programme of work, which allows for change, equality and accountability.”

The announcement follows Trinity Laban’s partnership with the newly launched Black Lives in Music, which will see the conservatoire work to achieve meaningful change that supports the creation of a truly inclusive, diverse and representative music industry.

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About Black Artists in Dance

Founded in 2014 by Joyce Gyimah and Gerrard Martin, collectively BAiD represents 25 years of experience in dance management, producing, mentoring, educating, choreographing and performing. The BAiD vision is to build a sustainable and inclusive global dance environment where Black artists create, develop and thrive. BAiD aims to support individuals and organisations, empowering them to question dominant societal ideologies and perceptions of the dancing body, aesthetic and language.

About Joyce Gyimah

Joyce is a freelance educator, choreographer, manager and consultant. She has worked with a range of dance institutions and organisations including Trinity Laban, Greenwich Dance Agency, Greenwich Musical Theatre, Union Dance, UK Foundation for Dance, Tavaziva Dance, National Portrait Galley and most recently The Arts Council. She began her training at Lewisham College before undertaking a BA (Hons) at The Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. Joyce is the founder of Dance Physics and Jazz Inc.

About Gerrard Martin

Dance artist, choreographer, movement director, dance educator and yoga teacher Gerrard trained at De Montfort University, gaining a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Performing Arts, before undertaking further studies at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Gerrard has performed in companies, such as Phoenix Dance, Ballet Black, Tavaziva Dance, Union Dance and for the West Ends’ Lion king. Gerrard is a guest teacher at the Place, RADA and Guest Associate lecture at the University of Northampton, he created his company Gerrard Martin Dance in 2011.

TL alum to star in Heathers the Musical UK Tour

Posted 9 April 2021 No Comments

Musical Theatre alum Rebecca Wickes joins the cast of Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s musical as Veronica Sawyer for a new touring production.

Based on the iconic film of the same name, Heathers the Musical follows high school student Veronica as she tries to fit in with the elitist clique of girls.

The show is set to open at Leeds Grand Theatre on 28 July 2021 where it will have a three week run before visiting locations across the UK including Liverpool, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Canterbury, Bristol, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, Milton Keynes, High Wycombe, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

Since graduating from Trinity Laban with a BMus (Hons) in 2018, Rebecca has performed the role of Scaramouche/Soubrette in We Will Rock You and Katherine Howard in Six with Royal Caribbean Productions.

In an Instagram post announcing her latest casting, Rebecca comments –

“[I] Can’t believe I’m going to be that Dead Girl Walking… I honestly have no words for this, I can’t even begin to explain how grateful and excited I am to have the opportunity to work on this incredible show.”

Also announced was 2019 Musical Theatre graduate Jake Lomas’ casting as Bob in the brand-new West End production of Billionaire Boy. The dramatisation of David Walliams’ best-selling children’s book will premiere at the Garrick Theatre from 17 July.

Find out more about studying Musical Theatre at Trinity Laban.

Image: Rebecca Wickes (credit Nicholas Dawkes)

Collage image featuring a group of dancers of varying ages in colour tops and black trousers with their arms raised (left) a mixed gender group of dancers in a studio facing forward and jumping with legs apart and pointed toes (right)

TL revamps postgrad dance programmes

Posted 7 April 2021 No Comments

London’s creative conservatoire Trinity Laban announces two enhanced postgraduate programmes for 2021/22: the MA/MFA Dance Leadership and Community Practice and the brand-new Graduate Certificate in Dance.

Led by Programme Leader and TL alum Melanie Clarke, the relaunched programmes are a new phase in the advancement of Trinity Laban’s postgraduate dance options. With a strong vocational focus, they offer learners the opportunity to explore their creative identity while developing practical entrepreneurial skills to become knowledgeable and supportive dance leaders of the future.

Sara Matthews, Trinity Laban’s Director of Dance, comments –

“Responding to the changing dance industry, these enhanced programmes enable Trinity Laban to integrate expertise from across our departments and beyond into our innovative training, ensuring we continue to nurture future creative leaders from all backgrounds.”

The newly validated MA/MFA in Dance Leadership and Community Practice is an evolution of Trinity Laban’s Postgraduate Diploma in Community Dance. Building on the diploma, the degree is designed to equip learners with the abilities and knowledge to discover what drives them as artists and understand how to establish sustainable careers as skilled practitioners and facilitators in community and participatory settings.

Students on the MA/MFA will develop an understanding of dance as a socially relevant, creative, applied, and inclusive practice and benefit from hands-on work experience with our Learning and Participation Department. Experienced tutors and professionals support students understanding of how to generate and lead quality dance experiences for the benefit of others. They will also be empowered to enhance their critical abilities and pursue independent research into their individual dance practice, enabling them to promote community dance practice in a wider field.

Melanie Clarke comments –

“There has been a lot of recent media coverage of how dance can enable and support people and there are a huge number of possibilities within this growing field. This is a prime moment for people to delve into community practice, to do research, and to start to produce evidence of how dance can really enable and support different populations. We’re really excited to be able to take that forward as part of Trinity Laban.”

Trinity Laban’s brand-new Graduate Certificate in Dance is an intensive dance programme aimed at learners with unconventional routes into dance, or who have come from alternative dance practices, and want to enhance their technical and creative practice within a conservatoire environment.

Unique in the sector, the full-time six-month course offers a clearly defined route of progressive learning that allows students to push skills forward and gain a level 6 qualification. With a blend of technical and creative modules, the programme provides a stimulating learning environment in which to develop as a dance artist. From taught dance classes and creative workshops to lecture-seminar dialogue, independent and collaborative projects, the programme offers a high level of contact time and interactive learning with expert tutors. The programme aims to foster students’ development as autonomous and committed learners who can support their own professional development.

Delivered in six months, the programme is open to EU and international students under a six-month study visa.

Melanie Clarke continues –

“The Graduate Certificate in Dance is designed to bring together a rich and diverse community of artists from a wide variety of backgrounds who are united in a desire to explore and interrogate their creative potential.”

To find out more about Trinity Laban’s Postgraduate Dance courses, join our Virtual Open Day on 29 April 2021.

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Image credit L-R: Belinda Lawley; James Keates